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If Decatur is no different from any other American city or central Illinois city as you keep insisting, then why should anyone live there instead of any of those other cities? If it's no different, then why are more people leaving Decatur than moving to Decatur? Why are more people moving to those other cities that are "no different" than to Decatur? "It's no different than any other city" is not the ringing endorsement that people who use that silly phrase seem to think it is.

I live in Decatur but Mt. Zion might be bettet for you. More expensive to live there but has everything you might need as far as shopping goes. Decatur is right down the road. There's a Conservation area there too. Look up Spitler Woods. Many apartment complexes in Mt. Zion. Don't know much about real estate though. Not so much for the kids to do so they do what every kid does...including getting into trouble. I think it's a busy-body town too. lol

As most mentioned, living IN Decatur should be out of your scope. There are three other surrounding areas that would be better for your family:

Forsyth (on the north end of Decatur). I think this is WAY over-rated. $300k is about the entrance point for a nice home, and you're still close enough to ADM & Staley's to get the stink on a regular basis.

Mt Zion (SE of Decatur). A nicer, small bedroom community. You can find some nicer neighborhoods down there. The drawback is the commute into Decatur -- there is no direct route to the center of town. I work on the east side, and my colleagues that live in Mt. Zion have a 30+ min commute.

Argenta-Oreana (NE of Decatur). Two very small towns, with a combined population of less than 2000. You can find some nice homes outside of the town limits. Oreana is close enough to get the ADM stink, where Argenta is far enough out that it only wafts occassionally. I live in rural Argenta, and LOVE the neighborhood (Hickory Hills).

Now, if I can only pack up my house and my neighborhood and move near Chicagoland, we'd be set. I love where we live. I HATE Decatur, and we're putting the house up for sale within the next week.

Decatur has suffered from economic decline and deterioration of its infrastructure for nearly two decades. Under no circumstances do I recommend living in Decatur for the reasons stated by others and many more. Monticello has much going for it and would be a great choice. Easy commute to Decatur via I-72 and equidistant to Champaign-Urbana, which has far more to offer in terms of shopping, entertainment, culture, restaurants, etc. There are nice towns West or North of Decatur providing proximity to either Springfield or Bloomington-Normal, respectively, both of which offer more and better venues. Take note of what Drover stated as people do "vote with their feet". Decatur had a population of roughly 94K in 1980. The 2010 census will likely reveal a population of less than 78K. I feel bad for what has happened to manufacturing communities like Decatur and Danville, but there is no indication this will change anytime soon.

If you do move to the area steer clear of any house built by Rentmeister Construction out of Mt. Pulaski. I recently had to replace a bedroom floor in a 2 year old house. The owner had a large soft spot in the floor and called me to take a look at it. When I did I found that none of the flooring was tongue and groove, simply CDX sheeting laid side by side. I had my partner walk around upstairs while I watched from the basement to see where the floor was weak. After watching with the owner, he decided that I should take out the carpet and strip off all the flooring. Needless to say he was not happy with his 200K+ house.

Besides Forsyth and Monticello, any other recommendations for any safe suburbs with good schools that are within reasonable commute to Decatur, IL?

Depends on how frequently you need to get to Decatur. Riverton and Rochester are both eastern suburbs of Springfield, and living closer to Springfield is more desirable (bigger metro, more to do, nicer overall) than Decatur in my experience. Forsyth would probably be your best bet if you have to go into Decatur on a daily basis.

Besides Forsyth and Monticello, any other recommendations for any safe suburbs with good schools that are within reasonable commute to Decatur, IL?

Mt. Zion/Long Creek is a nice area with great schools. Close to grocery stores, restaurants etc.

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